Violence against health care: insights from Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

31-03-2013 Article, International Review of the Red Cross, No. 889, by Fiona Terry

Abstract

This article explores the methodology and main findings of field studies conducted for the ICRC ’s Health Care in Danger project in Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2010 and 2013. It discusses some of the actions that the ICRC takes in its health programmes to facilitate access to health care, and its approach to promoting better respect for the laws protecting it. It then suggests what more needs to be done to curb the violence.

Biography

Fiona Terry is an independent researcher who has been conducting studies for the Health Care in Danger project of the International Committee of the Red Cross. She holds a doctorate in international relations from the Australian National University, is the author of Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action,* and is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Review of the Red Cross.